The Minority Body

A Theory of Disability

Elizabeth Barnes

Description

Elizabeth Barnes argues compellingly that disability is primarily a social phenomenon--a way of being a minority, a way of facing social oppression, but not a way of being inherently or intrinsically worse off. This is how disability is understood in the Disability Rights and Disability Pride movements; but there is a massive disconnect with the way disability is typically viewed within analytic philosophy. The idea that disability is not inherently bad or sub-optimal is one that many philosophers treat with open skepticism, and sometimes even with scorn. The goal of this book is to articulate and defend a version of the view of disability that is common in the Disability Rights movement. Elizabeth Barnes argues that to be physically disabled is not to have a defective body, but simply to have a minority body.

The Minority Body

A Theory of Disability

Elizabeth Barnes

Author Information

Elizabeth Barnes is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Virginia. She works on metaphysics, ethics, and social and feminist philosophy--and is especially interested in the places where these areas overlap.

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The Minority Body

A Theory of Disability

Elizabeth Barnes

Reviews and Awards

"Elizabeth Barnes has written an interesting and important book about disability. ... Barnes has brought a new level of precision to a popular slogan and has then set about defending it with all the familiar tools of contemporary analytic philosophy. ... it remains to be seen where the debate goes next, but wherever it goes, future discussion will need to engage with the work of Elizabeth Barnes."--Jennifer Hawkins, Ethics

"The Minority Body is a fascinating and compelling study of the concept of disability. Barnes redefines disability as a social phenomenon in a fresh way. Her revolutionary ideas compel us to look at the minority body without making value-judgments." -- The Washington Book Review

"In her engaging, powerfully argued, and good-humored book, Barnes seeks to illuminate the nature of physical disability, challenge the view that it has a negative impact on well-being, and defend a 'mere-difference view' of disability...It is a wildly creative, rigorous, and ground-breaking work that represents a significant contribution to the on-going inquiry into the nature and value of disability. It would not be an exaggeration to claim that it is the most important single-authored book in philosophy of disability to come out of the analytic tradition in a generation." -- Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews Online

"It is a thoughtful, thorough, and rigorous argument that nevertheless has an accessible style. It is not a book for a generalist audience, but could work quite readily in both undergraduate and graduate courses. Her attempt to moderate a path between the physical body and social constructivism, and to combat a generalized skepticism in the field of philosophy about the possibility that disability might be a good thing for some people, or at least a neutral thing, that lives of disabled persons are generally as rich, valuable, and worth living as those of nondisabled persons, and that such skepticism is "rooted in--often knee-jerk unreflective--stereotypes about what disabled lives are like" is an unapologetic and strong case for disability positivity. It is a valuable contribution to disability philosophy in particular, and philosophy in general." -- Hypatia Reviews Online